Public reminded antibiotics aren't always needed for seasonal illnesses

Healthcare professionals in Swansea Bay are reminding people that antibiotics aren’t always needed when it comes to seasonal illnesses.

It can be more common for viral illnesses such as colds, coughs and sore throats to circulate as we head into the winter months.

But it is important to remember that antibiotics aren’t always the answer as they can only treat bacterial infections.

Pictured: Consultant antimicrobial pharmacist Julie Harris and consultant medical microbiologist Edward Bevan.

Antibiotics can’t kill off viral infections, so self-care, such as staying hydrated, resting and taking painkillers to control symptoms, is often advised for those feeling unwell.

Taking antibiotics when they aren’t needed can create a risk of antimicrobial resistance, where bugs are exposed to antibiotics and develop a way of overcoming their actions so they will no longer work.

Julie Harris, consultant antimicrobial pharmacist, said: “Every time a person takes antibiotics, the bugs that are already inside the body are exposed to the antibiotics which creates an increased risk that they will find ways of overcoming them.

“Antibiotics affect the good bacteria in your body, as well as the bad bacteria.

“Every course of antibiotics wipes out our protective, healthy bacteria which allows the more resistant bugs, that are in all of us anyway, to have more of an opportunity to cause an infection which is much more difficult to treat.

“Antibiotics are different to other medications, such as blood pressure or cholesterol tablets for example, they do become less effective the more people use them.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to take extra care around antibiotic prescribing and usage because it will help to preserve the effectiveness of the antibiotics for the future.”

Antibiotics also come with a risk of causing other very unpleasant infections, such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infection.

C. diff is a type of bacteria that can cause diarrhoea and often affects people who have been taking antibiotics.

It usually lives harmlessly in your bowel along with lots of other types of bacteria but sometimes when taking antibiotics, the balance in the bowel can change, causing an infection.

Earlier this year, Margaret Bryant, from Swansea, had been prescribed antibiotics to help treat diverticulitis (inflammation of the colon).

The 83-year-old later contracted C. diff after her antibiotics were changed, which led to a hospital stay where she had to be isolated from other patients.

“I was having frequent diarrhoea and pain with the diverticulitis so my antibiotics were changed,” she said.

“Two months later, my symptoms returned and I was back in hospital in more pain because I had severe diarrhoea and dehydration. I was then diagnosed with a further C. diff infection.

“I was put on different antibiotics for C. diff and I was in hospital for 15 days, where I was again isolated from other patients.

“I tested positive for C. diff on and off over a five-month period and had seven lots of antibiotics in total.

“It was never-ending, and I was really, really ill. I’ve been through a lot in my life but this was hard to cope with.”

Dr Charlotte Jones (pictured) is a GP Partner at Uplands and Mumbles Surgery and the health board’s clinical lead for antimicrobial stewardship.

She said: “The healthy gut bacteria that protects us, as well as the bad bacteria, is affected each time we take antibiotics.

“Your body gets used to the antibiotics and you lose some of the protective bacteria that helps you stop getting the infection in the first place.

“It can take some time for the balance to go back to normal and when it is disrupted the C. diff bacteria can take the opportunity to cause an infection.

“As well as antibiotics, antacids and laxatives can also affect the normal bacteria in your body which can make you more susceptible to infections such as C. diff.

“Patients who are on these medications should discuss their usage, particularly at their yearly medication review with their GP, to check if they are still needed or not.”

Viral infections such as colds, coughs and sore throats rarely need antibiotics and can often be managed with self-care, Dr Jones explained.

“These infections are usually viral which means antibiotics can’t treat them,” she said.

“Self-care means you avoid any of the harms that can come with antibiotics.

“Although if you are unsure or if your symptoms aren’t improving, you should still contact your GP surgery, your community pharmacy or the NHS 111 website.

“We don’t want to stop people having antibiotics if they need them but most of these infections will go away on their own.

“Making sure you are up to date with vaccinations and that you are drinking plenty and keeping healthy is really important to your overall health.”

According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global public health and development threats.

Julie said: “Antimicrobial resistance is a fast-growing problem. It is going to affect us all in the future, to different degrees.

“For some people, it may be that their first course of antibiotics won’t work for a bacterial infection but for others it could result in a hospital stay because oral antibiotics won’t work for a specific infection anymore.

“Everyone can help take action on this by understanding even though they may be feeling ill from winter viruses, by self-caring and not taking antibiotics when they aren’t going to have a benefit helps to reduce the risk that antibiotics won’t work as well for them in the future.”